Ray of Hope
by tv-addict007
Summary: "It was a rather dark and wet day in New York. For days it hasn't stopped raining and people were afraid that there'll be flooding, but Katherine Beckett couldn't care less. The weather fitted to her mood. Two days ago she was told that her mother was dead. Two days ago her life has completely changed."
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone. This is something I came up with a little while ago. Have some mercy with my English. It's not my native language, so that there may be some (or more) mistakes.**

**It's planned as a One Shot, but if you're interested in further chapters, I'll be happy to write some more,**

**but my main focus remains on my first story "Family" (NCIS), so that it may take a while for me to write new chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Ray of Hope**

**Chapter 1**

It was a rather dark and wet day in New York. For days it hasn't stopped raining and people were afraid that there'll be flooding, but Katherine Beckett couldn't care less. The weather fitted to her mood. Two days ago she was told that her mother was dead. Two days ago her life has completely changed.

She sat on a swing in a park. She was wet from top to bottom, but she didn't care. She had to get away from her home, because she didn't stand it anymore. Her dad has fallen in a deep hole and tried to solve his problems with alcohol. Now, when she needed him the most, he wasn't there for her. She was alone. She couldn't talk to anyone or be just held in the arms of somebody she felt safe with.

She was just 19 years old. She still could have spent so much time with her mother. So much from her mother she could have learned from her. She'll miss many things with her mother. Her mother will never get to know her boyfriend with whom she is in a real and serious relationship for the first time, she will never help her moving in with him, she'll never has the chance to tell her mother about her engagement, she will not be present at her wedding, and she'd never see her first grandchild and later couldn't spend time with her or him. So many things were taken from Kate's time with her mom.

It didn't stop raining, but this only suited Kate. Because of the rain nobody could see her tears and even if she had a reason to cry, Kate Beckett was not somebody who showed her feelings so openly like right now.

Kate was so deep in thoughts that she didn't even notice at all that it has stopped raining. Only half a minute later she noted that it didn't pour down on her anymore. She opened her eyes and saw that it still rained, but she didn't get wet anymore. She looked up and saw a red umbrella over her head. _Where did it come from?_ Kate turned around and noticed a small person standing behind her. _How was she not able to notice that someone came over to her?_

Only when the person looked up to her, Kate recognised that it was a small girl that was holding the umbrella. If Kate has to guess she would say that the girl was about 5 years old. She has red, long hair and beaming blue eyes which stared right at Kate at the moment.

„You look sad." Kate has to let go a sobbing laugh. This situation was just so odd. There she was, sitting all alone in a park on a swing and greaves her mother's death and of all things that could have happened she was found by a little girl who tells her that she looked sad? Absurd.

The girl walked around Kate, so that Kate got wet from the rain again for a moment. Now the girl stood directly before her. In closer consideration the girl looked beautiful. How she wished to go back in time, when she still was a little girl with no worries in the world, happily living with her mother and her father at her side. „Are you sad?"

Kate smiled softly at the girl. She looked so innocent. Like she didn't know how the real world functioned. „Yes, sweetie. I'm sad."

„When I'm sad, my daddy always hugs me and he'll only let go when I'm no longer sad. My dad gives the best hugs in the whole, whole world."

Now Kate had to laugh. That girl was sweet and her naivety was enviable. But the laugh was just for a short time and she had to think about her dad and that he won't hug her and he never will if things won't change. The only thing he'd hug was his damn alcohol. She'd give a lot if it meant that her dad would let go of the alcohol and would just take her in his arms. But Kate knew the facts. He wouldn't change. She tried for two days in a row now. She constantly tried to make him understand what he was doing, but it didn't help. He was too drunk to listen to her.

„Why are you sad?"

„You're very direct. Didn't your dad teach you to not being so curious about other people's business?" asked Kate the girl softly. She was happy about every distraction and this girl seemed to just do that. Kate didn't know why, but she has the feeling that she could talk to her.

„My daddy is often even more curious than me. Technically it's me who has to hold him back." Now the girl bend towards Kate to whisper something in her ear, even when nobody was close enough to hear anything. „If we're being honest, it's my dad who really is the child."

The girl managed to make Kate laugh openly again. It wasn't what she said but rather her tone and her serious face that made Kate laugh out loud. Kate could imagine how this little girl brings a lot of joy to her parent's life. In such a short time, she made Kate forget about the death of her mother. Even when it was just for a very short time.

„Then you should keep an eye on him. Speaking of your dad, are you here alone? A girl like you shouldn't walk around the city on her own. It can be really dangerous."

„I'm here with my grandma." _Grandma. My child will never get to know her grandmother._

„She surely worries about you already."

„She sits at that café over there and keeps an eye on me. I asked her if I could go to you because you looked so sad and you kept getting wet from the rain. But she told me to not be gone for long."

„Then you should go back to her."

„But then you'd be alone again." she replied in a serious tone, as it would be the worst thing on earth and Kate smiled at the girl again. She liked that girl.

„I won't be alone because I will go home now."

„Will you let your dad hug you?"

„Maybe." _Maybe not._

„I hope you won't be sad anymore." The girl turned around and went back towards the café she said her grandmother would be. Just before she'd be out of earshot, she turned to her again. „By the way, my name is Alexis."

_Alexis. __A beautiful name for an amazing little girl. _

„I'm Kate."

Alexis smiled at her. „Maybe we will see each other again, Kate." After that, Alexis turned around and ran to her grandmother.

Kate stared baffled after her. What a strange meeting. Even when she liked Alexis, it was rather unrealistic that they would meet again in such a big city like New York. She stood up from the swing and made her way home. Only now she noticed that it stopped raining and the sun is shining in her face.

Although she still has a long way to come, Kate has the feeling that everything will be alright again. She'll gather herself up and will shape her life new. She'll eventually get through that dark part of her life.

She let the sun shine in her face. Suddenly she wished that she'll meet Alexis again.

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**So, this was solely Kate and Alexis, with mentions of Rick and Martha. If this story continues, the main focus will be Kate/Rick but of course there will be a lot of Kate/Alexis. I like the idea of them having a special bond.**

**Please leave a Review and tell me what you think. Should I continue? Want would you want to happen if the story continues?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the lovely response. I didn't really think that this story would continue, but after those requests I had to write another chapter.**

**I can't promise regular updates, but I will try to post a new chapter now and then.**

**I wrote this chapter at around 2am last night, so please have mercy with me. I'm not very satisfied with the end, but that could be the little perfectionist speaking :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 2**

Kate looked from the window. Even though it was mainly cloudy, now and again the sun shone through gaps and onto her face. She sat for about two hours in front of her window and observed how the clouds passed by.

One month had passed, since her mother had died and it hasn't changed a lot in that time. Her father still drowned his sorrows in alcohol and the police still couldn't find the one responsible for the death of her mom. The only thing that had changed was her future when she threw her study in Stanford four days ago. No, this wasn't right. Her future already changed with the last breath of her mother. All other changes were only the results of Johanna Beckett's death.

Kate heard how a bottle of glass broke and closed resignedly her eyes. Apparently her father was again in search of replenishment. She didn't know what else she could do to bring him back to his old self. She needed all her strength to not end like that herself. To just give up. She simply had not the strength for the both of them and she didn't know where she could get it from. She knew nothing at all at the moment. It was as if a black hole soaked up all her life energy and could just barely keep a sparkle for herself.

She heard another bottle clattering and decided that she had to go. Just because she couldn't do anything against it, didn't mean that she had to sit here and watch how she'll lose another part of her family.

She grabbed her winter jacket and left the house, without glancing once at her father as she went by the kitchen. She couldn't endure his sight. She'd look later after him and assess the damage.

She stood in front of the house and considered the things she could do. She had nobody to whom she could go, because all her friends were in Stanford. The only friend to whom she still held contact was Maddie, but she was on a tour through Europe and was out of reach. Family friends have turned away one after the other, after her father had scared them away with his behavior. She was alone among millions.

She just started to walk in one direction without a plan where she would end at. Maybe she could come to other thoughts on the way to nowhere. From the distance she saw the small park to which her mother had always taken her. She had nice memories of her mother. Her mom had always pushed her when she sat on the swing. She had always called to her that she should push stronger, because she always got the feeling that she could fly. With every swing closer to the sky.

A hint of a smile darted over her lips when she remembered that. Even though her mom had reluctantly pushed her a little stronger once or twice, that was the most she would give in. She was too worried that she could fall off the swing.

When she was old enough to swing on her own, she swung as fast as she could, but lost footing and fell. She broke her left arm that day and throughout the day she got a stern look from her mom. What she wouldn't give to go back in time and relieve everything from that point on.

She slowly entered the park. There were only a few parents with their children. Though it had stopped raining incessantly, but the weather wasn't ideal enough yet to enjoy the day in a park. She sat down on the swing she always sat as a child, while her mom pushed her and started slightly to swing.

Absent-mindedly she let her glance wander over the park. Watched how some children played and their parents stood a little bit apart and paid attention so that nothing happened. She didn't know how long she already sat on the swing, but she noticed that more and more parents made their way home with their children. Playtime was over.

From the corner of her eye she saw how someone sat down on the swing next her, though she didn't look up. Only when a cup of coffee magically appeared in front of her, did she look up confused. That someone was a man, maybe seven to eight years older than her. He had brown hair, a friendly face and a good frame. All in all, a good-looking young man. One of the kind she'd had flirted with a month ago.

He indicated at the cup of coffee again and smiled at her. She liked his smile. She saw how his eyes started to shine with it. Still it confused her that this stranger held a cup of coffee in front of her nose, but she took it anyway.

„You looked like you could need it." His voice was strong, but at the same time soft.

Kate looked thoughtfully at the cup in her hand. Who knew what was in there besides coffee. She decided to stay on the safe side and put the cup on the ground. She wasn't her usual self and she didn't want to be an even easier target for any lunatic that lived in this city.

The stranger grinned when he saw that she put down the cup untouched. „You're right. I wouldn't accept unknown liquids from stranger, too."

Kate glanced at him and grimaced. Who was that guy? Didn't he notice that she wanted to be alone? Admittedly, it was nice of him to bring her a cup of coffee, or whatever there was in there, but that didn't mean he had the right to get on her nerves.

The stranger briefly looked to the small group of children who had remained and then turned back to Kate.

„I don't want to be too curious, but what are you doing here sitting all by yourself?" asked the man.

If he thought he'd get an answer, then he was wrong. Stubbornly she stayed quiet. If he wanted to talk then so be it, but she'll just sit there and enjoy the silence. That was, unless this stranger wouldn't start making monologues.

But fortunately the stranger seemed to understand and didn't ask anything else. They both sat in silence and watched the playing children.

„My name is Rick, by the way. I'm here with my daughter." She rolled her eyes. She had the feeling that he wouldn't stay quiet for long.

Kate sighed. It wouldn't help to further ignore him. He has proven that he could happily talk without getting answers. „Kate. My name is Kate."

Rick smiled at her. „Look at that! She can talk."

She regretted immediately that she had answered him. Unbelievable how someone could irritate her without doing much. It was time to go to the offensive. „Are you always so intrusive?"

„Only on seven days a week." That got him another eye roll.

„Wow. It must be really exhausting. It mustn't be easy to be you."

„Not really." he replied and she had to repress the urge to grin at his answer.

For a while they sat there in silence and she started to get used to his presence beside her. Somehow is presence cheered her up. Even if his babbling had annoyed her in the beginning, she had to admire him for his effort. But she still couldn't understand why exactly he was sitting next to her, trying to involve her in a conversation. He certainly had better things to do than sitting next to her on a swing.

Kate looked briefly to the sky. The clouds were still there, but you could notice how the sun bid her goodbye for the day. Maybe she should go home. After all, she still had to look after her dad.

She breathed in deeply and enjoyed the feeling of the fresh air that flowed through her lungs. Kate got up with a heavy heart. She'd have loved to spend more time on the swing, but reality called for her. She turned one more time to Rick. „Well, it was certainly interesting to get to know you, but I have to go now. And thanks for the coffee. You didn't have to do this."

Rick smiled at her. She had to admit that she really liked his smile. It was contagious. „Oh, please. I thought you could need it, even if you haven't really touched it once."

„Nevertheless. Not everybody keeps company with a stranger and offers him a cup of coffee."

Rick just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't see why it was something big. It was just coffee in a paper cup. Nothing else. „It was just me trying to bring a smile on that beautiful face of yours. I saw you entering the park and sit down on this swing. All along you had the same, sad look. My mother always says, ´If you meet a person without a smile - give him yours!´. And a hot cup of coffee always cheers me up."

Another smile formed its way on her lips but this time she didn't suppress it. This guy really knew how the get someone to smile. „Well you're right. If I wasn't so distrustful, coffee is often the best way to cheer me up again."

Kate let her gaze wander one last time to the carefree children, before she made her way home without another word. She felt practically his eyes on her, as he watched without a doubt, how she disappeared into the night.

Briefly, before she was from sight of the park, she turned around again, but the swing set was empty. She looked around and contemplated whether she'd find him among the other people. She hadn't imaged him, had she? As she started to question her own sanity, she found him. He was just leaving the park and she was glad that she hadn't gone complete crazy.

At his side was a little girl. She couldn't recognize much, but she saw that the girl had red hair. Somehow she knew those hair. Could it be her? No, this was impossible. Millions of people live in this city. How likely was it to see the same girl again that once gave her a little bit of hope back? Not much.

If you meet a person without a smile - give him yours!

She didn't know why, but these words gave her strength. She hadn't really known him, but he showed her that maybe she wasn't that alone and Kate felt how the sparkle of life energy became a small flame.

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**Continue?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. Thanks for all kind response so far.**

**Here's the next chapter.  
**

**I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 3**

Half a year had passed since the murder of her mom and to get on other thoughts she had thrown herself into work. After a two month long period, in which she mourned her mother's death, she had signed up for the police academy. If the police couldn't find the one responsible for Johanna Beckett's death, then she would!

Unfortunately, there hadn't been as much changes in her father's live as in hers. She wanted to help him so much, but she didn't know how. A few months ago she hadn't had the strength to get away from that deep rabbit hole for the both of them. However, sometime down the road she became stronger again. What had been surprising though was from where exactly she got her new strength. The source of that new strength was none other than Richard Castle.

She had discovered his books in her mother's belongings and had started to read. She wasn't a big fan of mystery novels, but these books had been a part of her mom's life. Her mother had been a huge fan of this author and Kate longed for anything that could make her feel closer to her again. Surprisingly she had enjoyed reading them. She had read for hours and couldn't put the book away. She had been so caught up in the events of that book. But she had been more surprised when she discovered the picture of the author on the back cover of the book. It was that stranger from the park. Rick.

At that time she couldn't really believe that a bestselling author had been sitting next to her on a swing in a park, offering her coffee. If her mother would have been still alive then, she surely would have freaked out after discovering that.

Right know she was on a tour through some bars of NYC with one of her new friends. Her name was Lanie and she studied medicine. She wanted to become a pathologist, what had surprised Kate. She would've never thought that she'd be into that whole dead body thing.

They were already in the third bar of their tour. It wasn't popular one, but it was still an insider tip and so far, they hadn't regretted coming here. They sat at the bar and let different men invite them for drinks. To be honest, Kate was already a little bit tipsy, but she was still enjoying the positive side of their night out and didn't care about the number of drinks she already had. She'll worry about the negative side tomorrow, when she'll curse every drink she had drunken this night.

She saw daily how the alcohol impacted her dad's life, but if he could drink his sorrows away, so could she. Just for one night. She just wanted to forget. She just wanted to have a careless life again. A life that was normal for her age. She wanted to have fun. She wanted someone who could help her to forget her worries. She wanted an awkward morning after, waking up in an unfamiliar bed. She wanted all of that, so that she could stay away from the real life as long as possible. She didn't want to go back to her broken life.

"I have to say, this bar is a really good insider tip." said Lanie to Kate, while she smiled flirtatiously at the guy who just got her a new drink.

"I absolutely think so, too." Kate was also flirting with a man. He had nice, brown eyes and a beautiful smile. He looked like he worked out a lot and was around the same age as her. Maybe he could be the one who made her forget for one night. To feel free of all worries again.

After a few more drinks, Lanie bid her goodbye to Kate and went home, but Kate stayed where she was. She didn't want to go yet, she had too much fun. In the meanwhile, the guy she had flirted with got bolder. There were more touches and he moved his whole body closer to hers. At the beginning she liked his boldness, after all she had wanted a meaningless night. A night to forget everything but the present time. However, she started to slowly regret her decision. His touches made her uncomfortable.

She tried to distance herself a little from him, but he followed every move of her, bringing his body closer to her. She laid a hand on his chest and tried to shove him back, but she wasn't strong enough. Normally she'd have no problem defending herself against men, but she clearly had too much to drink. Her thoughts were a big mess and her reaction wasn't as fast as it normally was.

"What's your problem? Don't be so prissy. I thought you wanted this?" murmured the man into her ear and she could smell the alcohol. He was just about to lay his arms around her as a hand came out of nowhere and packed one of the arms of the man.

"I think this lady had changed her mind. You should respect her decision." This voice seemed oddly familiar to her, though she couldn't place it. She turned her head a little bit to the left and tried to focus on the second man. Was this Rick? Because of the low lighting of the bar and the high alcohol level in her blood, she couldn't be sure of what exactly she saw.

The distraction was successful, because the man actually turned away from Kate, but he had a new goal in mind now. He looked aggressively at Rick and rose to his full height, however Rick showed no sign of being intimidated. He didn't feel threatened by a drunk man you couldn't even say one word without slurring. "Oh, really? And why do you think exactly, that you can interfere with my business?"

"Do 'your businesses' always involve drunk women? Besides my friend Eddie doesn't want any problems in his bar and I think he'd be glad if you'd leave now."

Eddie, the owner of the bar, stood behind Rick. Irritated by the two men, he looked from one to the other before his eyes where back on Kate, who supported herself on the bar. He seemed to contemplate if Kate would be worth the trouble with the two men. After a few seconds, Eddie lost his patience and made the decision for the man. "Come one, mate. Don't make things more complicated than they already are and go home."

Eddie reached for the arm of the man and pulled him to the door. With one last look towards Kate, he disappeared into the night.

"Thanks, Eddie."

Eddie brushed it aside. „I won't tolerate such behavior in my bar." Then he looked at Kate who still leant on the bar, eyes half closed. „Should I call a cab?"

"No, thanks. I take it from here."

"You want to go already?"

"Yes, I have to go home. Besides, if I go now, I can at least make sure that she arrives safely at home."

Rick went back to his table in the corner to get his things. He had been sitting at that table for three hours and worked on a new chapter when he had seen her entering the bar. He could hardly believe it when he saw her, because he had thought that he'd never see her again. From this moment on, all of his attempts to concentrate on the words in front of him, were in vain. She was just too interesting. It looked like their destiny that more than one meeting point. Later, when he saw that the guy she was flirting with, got more aggressive towards her and she clearly showed that she didn't feel comfortable around him anymore, he couldn't just keep sitting there and watch. She could drink and flirt as much as she wanted, he still saw the young and lost woman he had met in the park.

When he had all of his things, he went back to Kate and laid supportive an arm around her waist. "Come on. I take you home."

"I can walk myself." Protested Kate and loosened his arm around her. Rick rolled his eyes about her stubbornness. Even under the influence of alcohol, this character trait didn't seem to have changed. If she wanted to walk without his help, he would let her.

She staggered in front of him towards the door and he asked himself whether she noticed that her balance was off. To make sure that she would stumble and fall, he stayed close to her, so that he could catch her if necessary. Before he walked out of the door, he waved briefly his goodbye to Eddie.

While he called for a cab, he kept his eyes the whole time on Kate. Thank God that there were still enough cabs driving around that they didn't have to wait too long. He wanted to help her getting into the car, but she ignored his hand and got in herself. This time he suppressed an eye roll. He had the feeling that she won't make it easy for any man in the future.

He got in the cab and closed the door, when he felt something heavy on his arm. He looked down to her and saw that she fell asleep leaning on him.

Rick signed. So much for taking her home.

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**Well, let's just say that Kate is getting that awkward morning after, just not like she had envisioned it. And she'll see Alexis again.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for your lovely response so far :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 4**

Kate woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. She could only remember pieces of last evening. How she and Lanie toured from bar to bar, flirting with several men and of course she remembered the last man. The one who got intimidating but as much as she wanted too, she could remember how the night ended.

She opened reluctantly her eyes and regretted it immediately when she looked right into a ray of light that got through a gap of the curtains. She turned her head a little and tried it again. This time she could withstand the urge to close her eyes again and looked through the room she was in. The room was unfamiliar to her and she had no idea where she could be. Did she go home with that guy from the bar after all? If so, where was he? Besides, those clothes she was in weren't hers. She looked closer and noticed that she wore a large T-Shirt and boxer shorts.

While she cursed at her throbbing headache, she slowly got out of bed and took a minute to acclimate her body to the new position. As she made her way to the door and opened it, she listened to any noise that could tell her where she could be. But there was nothing. No radio, no TV not even someone talking. Only silence.

The hall she was in was dark. There weren't any windows and the doors were closed, so that she mused that there should be a light switch somewhere in this hall, but she didn't dare to lighten up the hall. She wanted as less light as she could get. She couldn't handle light very well at the moment.

The only light that she saw was coming from downstairs. She groaned at the thought of going down there into the bright daylight, but she couldn't avoid the sun the whole day like a vampire. Not if she wanted to know where she was and what happened.

Gently, step by step, she went down the stairs. As expected she was surrounded by brightness and she suddenly felt more awful than before. But that was her own fault. People who could celebrate, had to face the consequences too.

Kate looked around the room and tried to orient herself. Everything was tasty decorated. It was a big room with different areas. One part functioned as the living room, the next part was some sort of a dining area and another part was a wide open kitchen. Some things really looked expensive and that confused her. He hadn't really thought that the guy from last night would be wealthy.

She glanced back to the kitchen. There was sitting a little person at a kitchen counter with the back facing Kate. The body figure and the red hair looked familiar to her. As she got closer to the kitchen, the little girl must have felt her presence and turned around. Now Kate knew why she looked so familiar. It was the same girl she had met on a very dark day in the park. Alexis. Somehow she never forgot that name. It was burnt in her memory with the very little hope of seeing her again.

When Alexis finally seemed to recognize her, she smiled brightly at Kate and even though her throbbing headache and slightly nausea, she smiled back at the girl. How on earth did she get here? Out of all places, she woke up in the home of that little girl she had met six months ago.

"Good morning! I see that our sleepy beauty finally rose from her deep slumber." Spoke a joyful voice behind her and she groaned achingly. Now she didn't just have to put up with the lightness, but with this painfully loud and overly happy voice too. She was asking herself how someone could be that happy so early in the morning after a night like the last one.

As the person got in her field of vision, she was both irritated and surprised. Irritated because that she had definitely flirted with another man and even if she admitted to herself that she had drunk too much alcohol, she certainly hadn't had imagined another man. On the other side she was surprised that she now met Richard Castle, bestselling novelist, for the second time. She was asking herself now more and more how she got here and what was going on.

For a moment she contemplated if she was still asleep and this all would be just some confusing dream. How big the chance that she couldn't remember anything, woke up at the home of a bestselling novelist and the little girl, who lightened up her mood after her mother's death, was there too? Low. But on the other side, there weren't many people out there that had experienced the exact same thing. She breathed deeply in and out. She wouldn't let herself get intimidated by the presence of him, just because he was a famous author.

"How did I get here?" asked Kate and begun to massage her temples to soften her throbbing head.

"With a cab." replied Castle matter-of-factly. Would she had felt better at the moment, she'd have rolled her eyes at him. That wasn't what she wanted to know and she had the feeling that he knew that.

Castle went to the kitchen and was closely followed by Kate. While Alexis sat at the counter eating breakfast, she watched the situation curiously. With a small smile she pushed her plate towards Kate and offered her wordlessly some of her breakfast, but Kate didn't even dare thinking of food. She felt bad enough. With a small shake of her head and a smile she declined Alexis' offer.

Castle smirked at the exchange. He had already guessed that Kate wouldn't be interested in something to eat. At least not in the state she was in, knowing that she most likely had a throbbing head. "Alexis, I think that she needs something different than pancakes."

"Bubble water?" asked Alexis.

Castle nodded conformingly. "Bubble water."

Kate looked confused at the two of them. She had no idea what they were talking about. Castle got a glass out of one of the many cupboards and filled it with water. She looked briefly to Alexis, who continued with her breakfast, before her eyes settled on the man again. "What's 'bubble water'?"

"Well, if you throw an aspirin into a glass of water, it starts to bubble while the tablet disbands in the water. Alexis calls this 'bubble water' since she saw it the first time."

"It's more fun to watch it than to drink it." Added Alexis and made a grimace. Kate smirked at that, but had to admit that the girl was right. She wasn't a big fan herself of the taste of an aspirin filled water.

"Alexis, why don't you go to your room and start packing the things you need for the sleepover at Page's?"

Alexis looked briefly back and forth between the two grown-ups, but eventually seemed to listen to her dad. She finished with her breakfast anyway. Her dad always made too much and in the end he was eating her leftover, not caring that he had his own huge portion.

Kate's eyes followed the girl until she disappeared upstairs and turned back to Castle who pushed the water glass to her. She had to smirk again when she observed the disbandment of the aspirin tablet. _Bubble water._

"Is she your daughter?" asked Kate without trying to look too curious. Not only had she another awkward meeting with this mystery writer, he was even related to the only other person she had a strange meeting at the park! If Kate would believe in supernatural things, she'd really think that destiny had planned something.

"Yes, she's my little star."

She massaged her temples again while she tried to process the information. Maybe she should try to get more information so that she had the whole picture of all events that took obviously place. "Okay, I'll try it again. How did I get here? And don't you dare telling me it was with a cab! I want a real answer and you know that."

"I dragged you out of the Old Haunt. I even saved you from waking up hung-over in the bed of the man who had gotten intrusive."

"Oh really? Instead I woke up hung-over in the bed of another man that once got intrusive with me. The outcome is the same." Replied Kate sarcastically.

Castle coughed. "With differences regarding the activities."

At this Kate listened up. She hadn't really thought about that yet. Did they…? "We didn't…?"

Castle rose one eyebrow and smirked knowingly at her. "That was definitely a night I haven't experienced yet."

"Oh God!" exclaimed Kate. This was all a nightmare.

"I've heard _that_ a lot. Hadn't thought you'd be loud in the bedroom. It was definitely hot."

Kate hid her head in her hands. She was horrified and embarrassed. That couldn't be! That all was even worse than a nightmare. She felt humiliated. As she sat there, cursing herself for being so careless, she suddenly heard a chuckle. She looked through a gap between her hands and saw that Castle had a hard time suppressing a laughing fit.

"Relax! Nothing happened. Firstly you were too drunk for something to happen and secondly, as soon as you were in that cab you fell asleep and nothing I did woke you up again. That's the reason why I took you here. You fell asleep before I could ask for your address."

"And you are making jokes about this now?! For a moment I really thought that we did it!" Even if she was a little angry with him, she was really relieved that nothing happened. As much as she had wanted it to happen yesterday evening, in the end she wasn't like this, searching for meaninglessness. If anything at all, she was searching for things to get out of the meaninglessness she was in since her mother died.

Castle grinned. "Hey! It's your own fault that you're in this situation now!"

"And my clothes? Did you change them?" Kate pried that he hadn't undressed her. As much as she'd have felt humiliated by sleeping with a stranger, getting undressed by one wasn't that much better. Besides, it made her feel like a little child and that was nothing she wanted people to think about her. She was a responsible, young grown-up.

"No, my mother changed you into more comfortable clothes. I don't think that it would have been fair."

"You're living with your mother?" asked Kate surprised. She hadn't thought that a successful, good-looking, grown-up man like him would still live with his mother.

He scoffed at her. "My _mother_ lives with _me_."

"Sounds more like a threat." teased Kate when she heard his tone.

"Ouch. And that after I've gotten you safely into bed last night. Thank you very much."

Kate drunk silently her water while he washed up the dishes they used for breakfast. This was certainly a morning she'll never forget.

She thought of Alexis again. Though she hadn't really thought that she'd ever see that girl again, but there had always been a little sparkle of hope inside of her. She had no idea why she liked her so much, after all she didn't really know her. But there was something that Kate admired at her. Maybe it was her grown-up behavior a child at her age should have. Maybe it was something entirely else that fascinated her so much.

When she looked at Alexis, she saw life, joy, love and hope and Kate hadn't known that you could see all that in the eyes of a child. Many people she knew where like her. They had already too much seen in their lives that they weren't able to carry such pure emotions. Not anymore.

Kate pushed the empty glass towards Castle and though that little movement was caught by a ray of sun. Suddenly she knew what fascinated her of Alexis. She was like the sun! She just had to beam a little smile and one would immediately feel light-heartedly again. Free.

Alexis came back downstairs with a packed bag hanging of her shoulder. It was a funny picture since the bag was almost bigger than the girl.

"Do you have everything, Pumpkin?" asked Castle who got a nod as an answer.

"Alright. Let's get you to Page." Castle put away the dish towel. He took the bag from Alexis and looked at Kate, who suddenly felt like she was somehow intruding the family routine. She felt like an outsider. Like always these days. "Can we drop you off somewhere?"

Now she was looking at two sets of eyes and while she wanted to decline and tell them that she could take a cab back home, she couldn't help but notice the hope in their eyes. Oddly enough, she like the two of them, even if she didn't really know them really well. But they didn't know about her mother and didn't look at her with pity in their eyes. They treated her like a normal human being, without prejudices and she missed that. Even if she had got to know Lanie now, it felt good to have two more of these kind of people in her life.

But she'd never tell _him_ that.

* * *

**I think that Kate is warming up to him...slowly :)**

**I'm happy about every Review. Just tell me what you think.**


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